The present invention relates generally to remote gaming systems, and more particularly, to an off-line system for playing games of chance, including instant-type lottery games typically embodied in a ticket having multiple chances which represent a single predetermined outcome offered by a managing authority are rendered on a gaming computer as an xe2x80x9celectronic ticket,xe2x80x9d such as, for example, a dedicated hand-held device or programmed general personal computer. In addition, the present invention provides for playing games of skill on such a device. In a lottery application, the system enables a player to play instant-type tickets on the game computer with the same convenience as typical paper scratch-off tickets at any location without the gaming computer ever having to be physically or electronically connected to a lottery system network during play, thereby providing enhanced play value for the player and greater revenues for the managing authority.
In the case of typical paper instant tickets, a computer generates a randomized prize data stream comprised of a finite series of win/lose outcomes. Each outcome is assigned to a lottery ticket, and each ticket contains one or more game chances which yield the assigned outcome. The player cannot change the ticket outcome, he or she merely scratches off certain areas of the ticket in accordance with the rules of the game to reveal the outcome. The ticket contains indicia which provide the player with a means to determine win/lose results or prize status, and the type of prize (e.g., cash or a free ticket). The aggregate of all winning outcomes in any randomized prize data stream is a predetermined percentage payout of the total revenues that would be generated by the sale of all of the tickets incorporating that particular randomized prize data stream.
In one specific embodiment of prior art paper instant ticket systems, ticket outcomes are generated by the computer tapes that control printing of the tickets. These tapes contain each outcome for any given run of tickets. The outcomes are created using essentially similar methods throughout the industry. For example, a run of 24 million tickets that has 120 top payouts of $10,000 and a payout percentage of 55%, may be broken up into 100 blocks of 240,000 tickets each. The $10,000 winners will be distributed as evenly as possible among the 100 blocks, so there will be at least one top prize in each block, with 20 blocks having two top prizes. The 80 blocks without the two top prizes will be compensated by offering more low and mid-tier prizes, so that the payout percentage is exactly 55% for each 240,000 ticket block. Each of these 240,000 ticket blocks is broken up into books of tickets, typically 200 to 400 tickets per book. Tickets are delivered to retailers in book units, where each ticket has two identifying numbers, a book/ticket number and a validation number. The book/ticket number is usually printed on the back of the ticket. An exemplary book ticket number is xe2x80x9c089-46127-234.xe2x80x9d The xe2x80x9c089xe2x80x9d identifies the game, in this case a State X $3 xe2x80x9cWin for Life.xe2x80x9d The xe2x80x9c46127xe2x80x9d is the book number, which in this case means that this ticket is from book number 46127. The xe2x80x9c234xe2x80x9d identifies this ticket as the 234th ticket from this book. The validation number is printed under the latex surface on the front of the ticket. This number is the key to determining whether or not the ticket is a winner. When a winning ticket is presented for prize redemption, the retailer types this number into an agent terminal, from which access to a central database of instant tickets provided by the ticket printer is obtained to search the record of outcomes for that run of tickets. This database resides in a separate computer at the main computer center of the online service provider (such as GTECH).
To prevent fraud, the validation number cannot be seen without scratching off the latex covering material. If the validation number were visible without requiring that the latex be removed first, retailers could check whether or not each ticket was a winner, and then keep winning tickets for themselves, selling only the losing tickets to customers. In this connection, the validation number is typically comprised of nine (9) digits. An illustrative validation number for the above xe2x80x9cWin for Lifexe2x80x9d ticket is: 71069-7041. This number singularly identifies this ticket from the millions of tickets that are printed for that game. It is important to note that this number is encoded and not in sequential order. If the latter was the case, retailers could buy one ticket for themselves and check its validation number. They could then enter the next ten validation numbers into the online system to determine whether any were winners. Again, customers might be sold the losing tickets while the retailer kept the winners. Encryption prevents this, because knowing one validation number provides the retailer with no information about the next number.
Some lotteries place restrictions on the distribution of outcomes, including limits on the number of high tier winners per book; how many consecutive non-winning tickets Y% of the time; and the maximum number of non-winning tickets per row. In arranging the lottery, the authority decides how many tickets are to be sold, the payback percentage of the game as a whole, and what prizes will be awarded and the frequency of winning tickets among the total number of tickets. For example, if the lottery wanted to sell a total of 20 tickets and have a payout percentage for the game of 50%, they might need to pay $10 total for the game. This might consist of one $5 winner, one $2 winner, and three $1 winners and may be represented as: 5, 2, 1, 1, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0. Note that the process so far has been completely deterministic. There is no randomness at all. Of course the lottery does not want to have the first five tickets sold to be winners, so it randomizes the order of the tickets. The resulting sequence might look like the following: 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 0, 2, 0, 0, 5, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 1. As tickets are requested by players, they are removed from the sequence of outcomes. From the above set of outcomes, a player requesting four tickets might buy four losersxe2x80x940, 0, 0, 0. If the next player requested three tickets, he or she may get 0, 1, 0. The next three tickets sold might be 2, 0, 0. This process continues until the entire sequence of outcomes is exhausted. Of course the computer can also pull outcome requests from the game sequence at random, so that a request for three outcomes could get the outcomes in location 5, 8, and 11 (which might correspond to 0, 2, 5). These outcomes would then be eliminated from the game sequence so that the next player cannot get the same sequence.
The lottery ticket may also contain a batch number that is typically visible on the ticket in the form of a bar code. All tickets in a given master carton are part of the same ticket lot and are sold at the same price point. Each master carton is labeled with a unique master carton serial number which is tracked by a central management computer associated with the managing authority. The central management computer also stores every ticket serial number and the associated outcome for that ticket. When the instant tickets are to be sold to customers, the lottery retailer communicates the master carton serial number via his on-line agent terminal to the central management computer and thereby activates all of the paper instant tickets in each master carton. This action activates all of the ticket serial numbers in that master carton, and typically causes the lottery retailer""s lottery bank account to be automatically debited for the wholesale cost of that master carton within a specified time period.
To redeem a winning paper lottery ticket, the player presents the same to a redeeming agent, either at a lottery retailer or lottery office, or mails the ticket in for redemption. To effectuate the redemption process, the redeeming agent scans the bar code on the ticket which represents the batch serial number on the ticket through a bar code scanner associated with the agent terminal. The ticket agent also enters the ticket serial number into the agent terminal. These ticket serial numbers are transmitted to the central management computer for purposes of validation. When the central management computer receives a validation request, it activates an on-line validation program which queries a ticket value database using the particular ticket and batch serial numbers to confirm that the ticket came from an activated master carton. If the ticket value database confirms a payout, the validation program authorizes the lottery retailer to pay the player cash or provide another prize (e.g., a free ticket).
In other paper instant ticket systems, there is no central management computer that manages the system from a purchase and redemption standpoint. The lottery retailer simply buys tickets from a printer, resells them to players, and then handles all aspects of validation and payment of winnings.
All prior art paper instant ticket systems suffer from several drawbacks. These include the costs of printing tickets, the physical inventory costs, the costs to the managing authority and retailer associated with unsold tickets, the inability to effectively offer low-price games (e.g., $0.25, $0.10), the limited game choices for the player, and the stigma associated with paper tickets as appealing toward lower income players, among others.
As an alternative to instant paper tickets, systems have been devised which replicate instant tickets on a computer terminal or gaming machine. An example is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,324,035, which discloses an on-line video gaming system comprised of a plurality of slave terminals, a plurality of master processing units, and a central game processor. A plurality of slave terminals are networked to each master processing unit and all of the master processing units are networked to the central game processor. The central game processor downloads fixed pools of game plays to each master processing unit. The slave terminals request game plays from the fixed pool in the master processing unit. The group of slave terminals coupled to a particular master processing unit display indications of the chances of purchasing one of the remaining winning plays in that pool to provide an element of competition between players situated at the various slave terminals. Thus, players at each slave terminal may decide to wait for the odds of purchasing a winning play to increase by allowing other competitors to purchase some of the remaining non-winning plays. Although this system is capable of rendering instant paper tickets in a video format, its primary drawback is that it is a networked on-line system. Every play (outcome) requested by the slave terminal must be downloaded on-line from the master processing unit. Accordingly, this system is limited in that players can only engage in lottery play at specified locations.
Another on-line video gaming system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,652,998. This system comprises a plurality of remote terminals networked to a central controller which generates a prize pool based upon a pool seed which is fed to a random number generator. The central controller divides the prize pool into mini-pools, each of which has a known amount of low-end prize value (e.g., all prizes of $25 or less). There are a selected number of larger prizes which are distributed among the mini-pools where some mini-pools have a large prize and some have none. Mini-pools are assigned to each terminal for each game which is rendered on the terminal as needed. The remote terminals have means for randomizing each mini-pool assigned to the terminal using a mini-pool seed provided by the central controller to feed a random number generator using a randomizing algorithm. When the central processor has assigned all mini-pools within a pool, the central processor creates a new pool. After players have played a sufficient number of games to exhaust an entire mini-pool at a given remote terminal, it connects to the central controller and is assigned a new mini-pool. This system also has significant limitations. Because the prize structure in the mini-pools is assigned to each remote terminal in a xe2x80x9cdynamic statexe2x80x9d, i.e., the remote terminal is assigned active outcomes before a player engages in play, it is necessary to provide various security measures in the remote terminals to prevent an unscrupulous player from xe2x80x9clooking aheadxe2x80x9d by xe2x80x9chackingxe2x80x9d the machine and determining the outcome sequence in any given mini-pool. Otherwise, a player might learn at what point in the mini-pool a large win will occur for the game being played and then wait to play until when a favorable outcome is due to occur. This characteristic renders such a system vulnerable to hacking since a player could conceivably view the outcomes stored in the device prior to purchase.
It is therefore desirable to provide an off-line system in which a player can enjoy games having a predefined outcome determined by a managing authority or the like on a gaming device, without the need to be physically or electronically linked to a central management computer associated with the managing authority during play, where xe2x80x9cticketxe2x80x9d purchase and redemption of winnings may be done at virtually any location, and where the managing authority is not at risk of being cheated since there are no secrets stored in the device.
Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a lottery system whereby instant xe2x80x9cticketsxe2x80x9d or pseudo-choice games with a predetermined outcome can be rendered on a remote gaming computer (the gaming computer may be any personal computer, personal digital assistant or the like, but will be referred to herein as a hand-held ticket viewer xe2x80x9cHTVxe2x80x9d) to enable a player to participate in a lottery or play lottery-type games for prizes at any location, all the while providing enhanced play value through computer simulation of games on the HTV.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a lottery system which allows for replicating game outcomes on an HTV where the outcomes are predetermined prior to purchase by and stored in a record in a central management computer (xe2x80x9cCMCxe2x80x9d) for the target HTV, thereby eliminating the need for security in the HTV.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a lottery system which enables predetermined game outcomes to be rendered on an HTV, yet where prize redemption can be implemented at retailer in the same manner and with the same convenience as instant scratch-off lottery paper tickets.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a lottery system which confers portability of purchase and redemption via any interactive communications or data network.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a lottery system which provides a managing authority with increased sales and profits, players with more competitive entertainment alternatives and overall higher customer satisfaction.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a lottery system which eliminates the printing costs, inventory costs and cash flow delays typically associated with instant paper tickets.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a lottery system which eliminates the disposal costs associated with paper instant tickets.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a lottery system in which an HTV provides for increased play value through longer play times than what is possible with instant paper tickets.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a lottery system in which games rendered on an HTV may be generated in a large type option which presents larger game formats to make it easier for people with poor vision to play the games.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a lottery system which allows for venue expansion through sales of instant ticket type games in venues where sales of paper tickets are impractical such as in restaurants and the like.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a lottery system in which game tutorials and help screens on an HTV enable players to learn new lottery games.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a lottery system in which games are rendered on an HTV and the machine communicates a winning outcome to the player.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a lottery system in which new lottery games may be transferred to an HTV through a plug-in module.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a lottery system in which the managing authority can inexpensively test new games and obtain user feedback by transferring new games for user sampling to an HTV through a plug-in module.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a lottery system in which advertising in connection with any lottery game may be transferred to and rendered on an HTV.
It is a another object of the present invention to provide a lottery system in which games that are races of skill, such as crossword puzzles or word descrambler games that must be completed in a certain period of time and which have a known correct solution, are rendered on an HTV.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a lottery system which realizes increased lottery sales and player game value by providing for the optional reinvestment of winnings by the player in connection with an original xe2x80x9cticketxe2x80x9d purchase on an HTV.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a lottery system which allows for a managing authority to track players and various attributes of their play, such as, for example, play frequency, betting level, type of games played and the like, to utilize such information to provide various bonus awards and incentives.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a lottery system which reduces player fatigue by enabling a player to select from a plurality of games on an HTV irrespective of the predetermined outcomes purchased from the managing authority.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a lottery system that allows for a plurality of game authorizations/outcomes to be stored in the HTV at the time of manufacture.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a lottery system in which game outcomes are randomly generated by the central management computer at the time of a purchase request.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a lottery system wherein game outcomes are generated in the HTV based upon a random seed value from the central management computer.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a lottery system in which a random string of outcomes are stored in the HTV and revealed in response to receipt of address data from the central management computer.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a lottery system in which the HTV enables games of skill to be played where the outcomes of the games are not immediately made known to the player but rather are determined by the central management computer upon receipt of game parameter data from the HTV.
It is still another object of the invention to provide a lottery system for playing probabilistic games of chance on an HTV.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a lottery system which reduces ticket and validation costs for the managing authority through electronic batching and reduced claim xe2x80x9cevents.xe2x80x9d
It is another object of the present invention to provide a lottery system which makes instant ticket type lottery games attractive to a wider group of participants who enjoy playing games on machines and personal computers.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a lottery system in which an HTV may be enabled for play and disabled in accordance with its location using a Global Positioning System (xe2x80x9cGPSxe2x80x9d) receiver to facilitate in-flight gaming where the HTV may be prevented from operating unless it is located within a venue that allows for gaming.
In accordance with the foregoing objects and additional objects that will become apparent hereinafter, the present invention, in one exemplary embodiment, comprises a system for enabling games of chance for prizes on at least one remote game computer, where each game has at least one associated outcome that is predetermined by a central authority with an associated central management computer that authorizes game play on the remote game computer and provides for verification of the at least one outcome after game play by the central authority. The system generally comprises: at least one game computer including associated memory and processing means for executing at least one program from the associated memory, where the at least one program includes a game program. The processing means execute the game program to enable the player to play at least one game on the game computer upon receipt of outcome and game authorization data pursuant to a purchase request, where the data represent either a single predetermined outcome or an aggregation of constituent outcomes. The game computer further includes authentication means operatively associated therewith for generating and authenticating authenticatable messages utilizing a variety of cryptographic and other protocols.
The invention further includes a central management computer having associated memory, processing means for executing at least one program from the central management computer associated memory, and central management computer authentication means operatively associated therewith for generating and authenticating authenticatable messages. The central management computer enables an authenticated session to communicate the data either via a direct electronic connection or a manually input data step to the game computer to enable the central management computer to authorize game play on the game computer while the game computer is not connected to any other device during play, and thereafter to enable prize redemption.
The present invention also contemplates a method for playing games of chance on at least one remote game computer, where each game has at least one outcome that is predetermined by a central gaming authority having an associated central management computer prior to game play, comprising the steps of:
(a) identifying the game computer to the central management computer;
(b) requesting a number of game authorizations from the central management computer;
(c) the central management computer forming an authenticatable game authorization message representing at least one predetermined game outcome;
(d) communicating the authenticatable game authorization message to the game computer after payment authorization for the authorized games by the player; and
(e) the game computer authenticating the authenticatable game authorization message and, if authenticated, allowing the game computer to reveal the at least one predetermined outcome represented in the authenticatable game authorization message.
In another embodiment, the game computer associated memory stores an accumulated cash-balance of winnings, and the authenticatable game authorization message represents a predetermined number of game authorizations in connection with the purchase request, and further represents a predetermined number of standby game authorizations which are played by debiting the accumulated cash-balance.
In accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the invention, prize redemption of winnings associated with the authorized game plays comprises the following additional steps:
(f) identifying the game computer to the central management computer;
(g) the game computer generating an authenticatable redemption request message representing the at least one predetermined game outcome;
(h) communicating the authenticatable redemption request message to the central management computer through at least one of a temporary direct electronic connection and a manually input data step; and
(i) the central management computer authenticating the authenticatable redemption request message and verifying outcome data represented therein to outcome data previously transmitted in said authenticatable game authorization message to authorize at least one of a payout of winnings and credit toward additional game authorizations.
The game computer may include an integral or external security token, where the security token comprises a tamper-resistant and/or evident secure perimeter including memory and processing means for executing programs from the secure perimeter memory. The secure perimeter includes the authentication means for generating and authenticating authenticatable messages, and generates the authenticatable redemption request message representing the outcome data in response to a prize redemption request.
The invention also contemplates an embodiment where the associated memory is loaded with at least one puzzle game, and where the game authorization data comprises an activation message broadcast via mass communication channels. This game authorization data enables the puzzle game to be started after at least one of a certain temporal threshold and an external occurrence. Thus, many players can play a race of skill simultaneously with the first player to complete the game being declared the winner. The authenticatable redemption request message represents a player""s solution to the puzzle, and the player""s solution and time of completion are verified at said central management computer.
The game computer may generate a hash value of a player""s solution to the puzzle game, where a hash value representing a correct puzzle solution for said puzzle is compared to said player""s solution at the central management computer.
The game computer may also include provisions for digitally time stamping the hash value, where the means for time stamping are disposed within a tamper-resistant secure perimeter to preclude fraud.
The present invention also provides a method for enabling off-line games of skill for prizes on at least one remote game computer, where the player""s game input does not produce a game outcome until the game input is processed by a central management computer, comprising the steps of:
(a) the central management computer forming an authenticatable game authorization message for enabling play of at least one game of skill on the game computer;
(b) at least one of communicating the authenticatable game authorization message and inputting the authenticatable game authorization message to the game computer through at least one of a direct electronic connection and a manually input data step;
(c) generating at least one game of skill on the game computer while the game computer is not connected to any other device during play;
(d) communicating player game input data to the central management computer through at least one of a direct electronic connection and a manually input data step;
(e) the central management computer reading the player game input data and executing a program to produce at least one game outcome based upon the player""s game input data; and
(f) notifying the player of said at least one game outcome.
The present invention also provides a method for enabling play of probalistic games of chance on at least one remote game computer, where each game has a plurality of chances to win that are selectable by the player on the remote game computer, the player selecting at least one of the chances and the player""s selection being verifiable by a central authority with an associated central management computer that authorizes game play on the remote game computer, comprising the steps of:
(a) identifying the game computer to the central management computer;
(b) requesting a number of game authorizations from the central management computer;
(c) the central management computer forming an authenticatable game authorization message representing a plurality of chances to win, at least one of which is selectable by the player for subsequent verification by the central management computer;
(d) communicating the authenticatable game authorization message to the game computer after payment authorization for the authorized games by the player; and
(e) the game computer authenticating the authenticatable game authorization message and, if authenticated, allowing the game computer to display the plurality of chances to win for selection by the player.
Redemption of winnings associated with this embodiment further comprises the steps of:
(f) identifying the game computer to the central management computer;
(g) the game computer generating an authenticatable redemption request message representing the selection by the player;
(h) communicating the authenticatable redemption request message to the central management computer through at least one of a temporary direct electronic connection and a manually input data step; and
(I) the central management computer authenticating the authenticatable redemption request message and verifying the selection by the player represented therein to authorize at least one of a payout of winnings and credit toward additional game authorizations.
These and other features and advantages of the present invention will be better understood with specific reference to the detailed description which follows and the appended drawings.